Thread advancing reel



April 12, 1955 5 MAYNER 2,706,035

Tli EAD ADVANCING REEL INVENTOR. THOMAS S. MAYNER April 12, 1955 T. s. MAYNER THREAD ADVANCING REEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5, 1949 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent THREAD ADVAN CIN G REEL Thomas S. Mayner, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, assignor to Industrial Rayon Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application October 5, 1949, Serial No. 119,688

4 Claims. (Cl. 203-183) This invention relates to reels for advancing thread and the like. More particularly the invention relates to a reel that is positioned above a thread forming device in a coagulating bath, the reel generally being known as a Withdrawing or take-up reel.

In the spinning of filamentary material such as viscose rayon thread and the like, the filamentary material is withdrawn from a liquid bath by a reel positioned generally in a manner so that the thread is led directly to it. From this reel the thread is led for further processing steps to other reels serving as collecting or treating stations.

Reels having peripheries of a plurality of interdigitating bar members are advantageous in the spinning of rayon thread and the like. Their use, in general, has been limited to single processing steps, except for the withdrawing reel wherein no treatment was performed. The withdrawn thread, generally, is allowed to set-up on this reel and then advanced to subsequent reels for further treatments. Not all of the reel is generally used for such a purpose so that a considerable portion of its length was unused. The fresh thread with substantial amounts of adhering bath liquids was not suited for an immediate further treatment, such as a wash, and the thread turns have to be widely spaced to avoid contact with each other. Since reels in the withdrawing position are, generally, fixed as to their eccentricity for their entire lengths a further processing step could not be economically performed unless the turns were brought more closely together to enable the formation of a liquid thread covering blanket. In order to perform a processing step on a withdrawing reel the thread must be sutficiently conditioned for a treatment application, that is, the bath liquids promptly disposed of, the thread turns kept wide to avoid any physical contact, thenthe thread turns brought more closely together to enable an economical application of a treatment. Further, because of discontinuous peripheries bar type reels tend to introduce barre in the thread during the withdrawal of a thread from its bath. The control of barre is made more difiicult because of the liquids that are carried onto the thread. Excess bath liquids clinging to a thread tend to cushion the thread from the reel bars to thus disturb the travel of the thread over the initial section of a take-up reel.

The excess liquid adhering to the thread can be removed more quickly from a bar-type withdrawing reel of the type disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,210,914 by widely spacing the initial turns of thread, by minimizing the length of contact between the thread and the bar members of the reel while providing suflicient support for the thread to adequately control its travel over the reel, and by reducing all possible liquid adhering and supporting surfaces.

Where nominal spinning rates of about 80 meters per minute are utilized with bar type reels of the type described in the mentioned patent the volume of withdrawn bath liquids has not been objectionable since the quantities of the adhering bath liquids are not too great so as to interfere with the thread contact on such a reel. Also at such spinning rates the excess can be usually wiped ofif prior to a withdrawing reel by means of guides without any substantial injury or alteration of subsequent desirable thread characteristics. At increased speeds, however, the withdrawn thread tends to carry greater quantities of bath liquids so that a wiping device generally is not elfective and, further, it introduces drag. Also a wiping device tends to impart an additional irregular barre. Since thread advancing devices having peripheries of spaced interdigirating bars are advantageous in the processing of thread this invention provides for an improved withdrawing or take-up bar type reel which substantially immediately eliminates excess bath liquids, maintains widely spaced 2,706,035 Patented Apr. 12, 1955 thread turns over the initial section of the reel, greatly minimizes the tendency toward barre in the thread, and by bringing the thread turns more closely together enables the performance of a treatment on the remaining portion of its length.

Thread, when closely spaced at the initial take-up end of a withdrawing reel, tends to create a liquid blanket over a substantial portion of the reel. It is advantageous to prevent such a formation of a liquid blanket by minimizing the support therefor through the utilization of widely spaced thread turns and tapered bars. This is done by means of a shortened reel member at the take-up end that has an eccentricity and an askew angle with respect to a concentric reel member to give widely spaced thread turns. Also the thread-to-bar contact is minimized by tapering the initial take-up sections of the reel bar members for substantially the length of the shortened reel member to decrease considerably the thread contacting bar member area and their liquid supporting surface. The remainder of the reel desirably has bar members of a normal thread supporting Width and an eccentricity adapted to more closely space the thread turns and for purposes of performing a processing step or steps on the thread.

Figure 1 discloses a portion of a thread and the like spinning apparatus including a withdrawing reel;

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of the Withdrawing reel of Figure 4;

liigure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the withdrawing ree Figure 4 is an elevation of the withdrawing reel; and,

Figure 5 is a section of the reel of Figure 4 taken along lines 5-5.

Referring to the drawing there is shown in Figure 1 a viscose thread forming spinneret 10 positioned in a coagulating bath 11 extruding a thread or the like 12. The thread 12 is withdrawn directly from the bath 11 by a reel 14 generally of the type disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,210,914. The reel 14 is supported at one end by means of a flange 15 that is positioned in the face of a spinning machine (not shown). Further the reel is mounted on a shaft 16 extending through the flange 15 to a driving source.

The thread 12 usually is temporarily stored on the reel 14 in a plurality of generally helical turns. The length of the thread, however, advantageously is divided into two groups of turns, the first group 18 being widely spaced while the second group 19 is more closely spaced so as to enable the economical application of a liquid treatment, if desired. A treatment may be applied to the reel 14 to the closely spaced group of thread turns 19 by a liquid distributing tube 20 which is adapted to provide and distribute a liquid processing medium. The excess fluid drops into a collecting trough. The thread 12 upon leaving the reel 14 may be further forwarded to a subsequent reel 25 for a further treatment, and therefrom to other reels until a desired number of processing steps are performed to yield a final thread having desirable characteristics.

At increased spinning speeds where economical processing is desirable and where centrifugal forces are not fully dependable to rid the reel 14 of excess liquids carried over from the liquid thread coagulating bath 11 it is desirable to promptly eliminate the bath liquids from the yarn on the reel, and also to condition the yarn for a possible subsequent processing step. Liquids are more readily thrown oil a reel when their surface tension is broken by widely spaced initial turns of a thread destroying a blanketing effect over the several turns. To further facilitate the removal of excess liquid from the thread at the take-up end of the reel the section of widely spaced thread turns is advantageouslv comprised of tapered bar members, the taper being in the direction of the periphery to thereby minimize a liquid supporting and adhering area of the bars. With widely spaced turns, such as the group 18, the liquid is localized to substantially each thread turn rather than over a plurality of thread turns and the narrowed bar members advantageously prevent the adherence of any excess liquid. The liquid is readily flung off by the rotating wheel.

The thread advancing reel, in the drawing, comprises at least three reel members 30, 31 and 32 (see Figures 3' 4). Reel member 30 is mounted concentrically about the reel shaft 16 and it is secured thereto. The bar members 35 of the concentric reel member 30 are radially supported by a hub 36 at the front of the reel which is fixed to the reel shaft 16 by means of a set screw 37 threaded through an extended portion to secure the reel member to the reel shaft. The opposite ends of the bar members 35 advantageously merge into a concentric supporting ring 39 which is annularly secured by means of bolts 40 to a flange 41 mounted about the reel supporting sleeve 15. The flange 41 is adapted to rotate about a bushing 42 positioned about the supporting flanged sleeve 15. The flange 41 is further secured against displacement by means of a set screw 43 threaded through a collar 44 which bears against a ring 45.

The interleaved reel members 31 and 32 in their combined lengths are substantially equal to the length of the reel member 30. Reel member 31 has a hub portion 50 that is adapted to rotate about a bushing 51 positioned about the eccentric sleeve 52; and reel member 32 is supported on its hub 55 that rotates about the bushing 56 which is also positioned about the eccentric sleeve 57. Both hubs 50 and 55 are maintained imposition by some suitable means such as split rings 58 that bear frictionally against positioning collars 59. The reel is further secured on the shaft 16 by means of a set screw 67 and collar 66 positioned about the shaft and secured thereto and abutting the reel supporting sleeve 15. A bushing 63 is provided for the full len th of the sleeve 15, eccentrics 52, 57, and for the shaft 16. The bushing is maintained in position by means of a collar 66 and set screw 67 at one end and collars 68 and set screw 69 at the other end.

The eccentric reel member 31 is displaced from the axis of the shaft 16 by means of an eccentric supporting sleeve 52, and the eccentric reel member 32 is also displaced from the axis of the shaft 16 by means of the eccentric supporting sleeve 57. Each of the sleeves 52 and 57 have axes that are offset and askew to the axis of the reel shaft 16. Further, each of the eccentric reel members 31 and 32 is adapted to freely rotate about its eccentrically positioned sleeve 52, 57. When the reel shaft 16 is driven it rotates the concentric reel member 30 which, in turn, through bar to bar contact is ada ted to rotate the eccentric reel members 31 and 32. Further. the offset and askew relation of the eccentric reel members to the concentric reel member effects the advance of thread over the reel in a general helix. Where the eccentric bushings of the reel members 31 and 32 are eouallv offset and askew then the advance of the thread over the reel will be substantially uniform and the spacing between the thread turns will be substantially the same. here. however. the one eccentric reel member h s a differ nt an ularity than the other then there is effected a different s acing of the thread turns.

Generally. thread is r ceived by the reel at its rear or at its su ported end. The reel, advantageously, is provided with an ec entric reel member that is positioned at a reater inclination or askew an le than the preceding eccentric reel member. The thread turns. as a result. are spaced a greater distance fr m each other so as to prevent the formation of a liquid blanket. Further, the reel members of the first eccentric and the parallel runnin c ncentric reel members advantage uslv have tapered secti ns 33 and 34 to minimize liquid adhering areas as well as to f cilitate the elimination of the liquid ca ed onto the reel.

The taperi of the bar members is in the direction of the reel nerinberv and for a. len th required to secure proper liquid elimination. The redu tion in wid h of bar members mav be from about an original one-half inch or oneuarter inch s ze. depe ng u on reel diameters. to about o e-sixteenth in h. This reduces the liquid adhering su f ce area. and the liquids are as a result more readilv flung off bv a rotating reel. The bar members there fter are desirably of normal varn su portin widths and the eccentricity of the reel member 31 is such so as to more cl sely space the thread turns. The return to normal widths and close spacing enables the performance of a subsequent liquid rocessing step economically since there is provided suflicient liquid adhering surface to maintain the liquid on the reel in the form of a liquid for a sufiicient period of time to effect a proper treatment of the thread. The olfset and askew relation of the eccentric relative to the concentric reel is the kind so as to bring the thread turns sufliciently close together to permit the formation of a liquid blanket as disclosed in the United States Patent No. 2,272,182.

A reel of the construction herein described is of further advantage where a processing step such as an acid wash or some other treatment is to be performed on the thread. The thread is prepared for such a treatment by widely spacing the thread turns to prevent the formation of a film, and more readily fling oif the liquid through the utilization of tapered bars. The wide spacing of the turns also prevents contact between the turns and any injury to the thread that would result therefrom. The thread helix is then closed to enable an economical treatment on the subsequent portion of the reel.

I claim:

1. A thread-storing, thread-advancing reel comprising, at least two interdigitating sets of bar members cooperating in a manner so as to advance thread and the like in the form of a general helix, one of said sets of bar members being at an askew angle to the other and being formed of at least two sections in substantially an endto-end relation, the combined lengths of said askew set being substantially coextensive with the other of said plurality of sets, one of said sections of said askew set being skewed at a greater angle, and said greater skewed section and the coextensive length of said other set of bar members having an inverted generally V-shaped taper transverse to their lengths.

2. A thread-storing, thread-advancing reel comprising, at least two interdigitating sets of bar members, one of said sets being formed of two sections in generally an end-toend relation having a combined length substantially equal to the length of the other set, said two sections being eccentrically positioned relative to each other and to the other set, said sets of bar members cooperating upon rotation to advance thread in the form of a helix, and one of said sections and a coextensive length of the other set having reduced bar member thread supporting surfaces, the reduced surface bars having the general form of an inverted V the taper being transverse to their lengths.

3. A thread-storing, thread-advancing reel comprising at least three sets of interdigitating bar members, two of said sets being positioned in an end-to-end relation and each being offset and askew to the third set, said sets upon rotation cooperating in a manner so as to advance thread and the like in the form of a general helix, one of said offset and askew sets of bar members being askew at a greater angle to said third set than the other of said otfset and askew sets and said one offset and askew set and a coextensive portion of the third set of bar members having reduced thread supporting surface widths relative to their remaining thread supporting surface widths, the reduced widths being at the thread take-up end of the reel being the top of an inverted generally V-shaped taper transverse to their lengths.

4. A thread-storing, thread-advancing reel comprising at least two sets of bar members, one of said sets being in two sections in substantially an end-to-end relation to the other set and generaly coextensive therewith, each of said end-to-end sections being offset and askew to said other set and interleaved therewith, said sets of bar members cooperating upon rotation to advance thread in the form of a general helix, one of said offset and askew sections rotating about an axis positioned at an askew angle greater than the other offset and askew section, and the bar members of said last mentioned section and the coextensive section of the other set of bar members having thread supporting widths of about one-sixteenth inch being the top of an inverted generally V-shaped taper transverse to their lengths.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,983,221 Furness Dec. 4, 1934 2,091,285 Knebusch Aug. 31, 1937 2,167,662 Lovett Aug. 1, 1939 2,167,681 Samerdyke Aug. 1, 1939 2,210,914 Knebusch Aug. 13, 1940 2,243,964 Kline et al. June 3, 1941 2,272,182 Burkholders et al. Feb. 10, 1942 2,272,233 Walters Feb. 10, 1942 2,414,644 Gram Jan. 21, 1947 2,424,489 Moritz July 22, 1947 2,554,670 Ewing May 29, 1951 2,618,837 McLellan Nov. 25. 1952 

